Proactive control of UE service based on quality of an access node&#39;s RF-circuitry as to frequency bands on which the access node operates in coverage zones through which the UE is predicted to move

ABSTRACT

A mechanism for controlling service of a user equipment device (UE), including (i) predicting that the UE will move sequentially through multiple zones of coverage of an access node that operates on a different respective set of one or more frequency bands in each zone of coverage and that has a respective radio-frequency (RF) circuitry quality as to each frequency band, (ii) based on the predicting, determining an RF-circuitry-quality score of the access node as an aggregate of the RF-circuitry-qualities of the access node as to the frequency bands on which the access node operates in the multiple zones of coverage through which the UE is predicted to move, and (iii) before the predicted movement of the UE through the multiple zones of coverage occurs, proactively using the determined RF-circuitry-quality score of the access node as a basis to control whether the UE is served by the access node.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/247,562,filed Dec. 16, 2020, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

A typical wireless communication system includes a number of accessnodes that are configured to provide coverage in which user equipmentdevices (UEs) such as cell phones, tablet computers,machine-type-communication devices, tracking devices, embedded wirelessmodules, and/or other wirelessly equipped communication devices (whetheror not user operated), can operate. Further, each access node could becoupled with a core network that provides connectivity with variousapplication servers and/or transport networks, such as the publicswitched telephone network (PSTN) and/or the Internet for instance. Withthis arrangement, a UE within coverage of the system may be able toengage in air-interface communication with an access node and couldthereby communicate via the access node with various application serversand other entities.

Such a system could operate in accordance with a particular radio accesstechnology (RAT), with communications from an access node to UEsdefining a downlink or forward link and communications from the UEs tothe access node defining an uplink or reverse link.

Over the years, the industry has developed various generations of RATs,in a continuous effort to increase available data rate and quality ofservice for end users. These generations have ranged from “1G,” whichused simple analog frequency modulation to facilitate basic voice-callservice, to “4G”—such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), which nowfacilitates mobile broadband service using technologies such asorthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and multiple inputmultiple output (MIMO). And recently, the industry has completed initialspecifications for “5G” and particularly “5G NR” (5G New Radio), whichmay use a scalable OFDM air interface, advanced channel coding, massiveMIMO, beamforming, and/or other features, to support higher data ratesand countless applications, such as mission-critical services, enhancedmobile broadband, and massive Internet of Things (IoT).

In accordance with the RAT, each access node could be configured toprovide coverage and service on a number of radio-frequency (RF)carriers. Each such carrier could be frequency division duplex (FDD),with separate frequency channels for downlink and uplink communication,or time division duplex (TDD), with a single frequency channelmultiplexed over time between downlink and uplink use. And each suchfrequency channel could be defined as a specific range of frequency(e.g., in RF spectrum) having a bandwidth (width in frequency) and acenter frequency and thus extending from a low-end frequency to ahigh-end frequency.

On the downlink and uplink, the coverage provided by an access node oneach such carrier could define an air interface configured in a specificmanner to provide physical resources for carrying information wirelesslybetween the access node and UEs.

Without limitation, for instance, the air interface could be dividedover time into a continuum of frames, subframes, and symbol timesegments, and over frequency into subcarriers that could be modulated tocarry data. The example air interface could thus define an array oftime-frequency resource elements each being at a respective symbol timesegment and subcarrier, and the subcarrier of each resource elementcould be modulated to carry data. Further, in each subframe or othertransmission time interval, the resource elements on the downlink anduplink could be grouped to define physical resource blocks (PRBs) thatthe access node could allocate as needed to carry data between theaccess node and served UEs. In addition, certain resource elements onthe example air interface could be reserved for special purposes.

Each carrier could be defined within an industry standard frequencyband, by its frequency channel(s) being defined within the frequencyband. Examples of such frequency bands include, without limitation, (i)Band 25, which supports FDD carriers and extends from 1850 MHz to 1915MHz on the uplink and 1930 MHz to 1995 MHz on downlink, (ii) Band 26,which supports FDD carriers and extends from 814 MHz to 849 MHz on theuplink and 859 MHz to 894 MHz on the downlink, (iii) Band 71, whichsupports FDD carriers and extends from 663 MHz to 698 MHz on the uplinkand 617 MHz to 652 MHz on the downlink, (iv) Band 41, which supports TDDcarriers and extends from 2496 MHz to 2690 MHz, (v) Band n260, whichsupports TDD carriers and extends from 27 GHz to 40 GHz, and (vi) Bandn261, which supports TDD carriers and extends from 27.5 GHz to 28.35GHz.

An access node could therefore be configured to operate on multiple suchfrequency bands, by being configured to provide coverage and service oncarriers defined in the multiple frequency bands.

OVERVIEW

To facilitate operating on multiple frequency bands, an access nodecould be equipped with a set of RF circuitry respectively per frequencyband. For instance, separately for each frequency band, the access nodecould have a respective group of antennas that the access node is set touse for air-interface communication in the frequency band. Andseparately for each frequency band, the access node could haveassociated components, such as antenna ports, RF filters, combiners,diplexers, triplexers, and jumper cables, among others, that the accessnode uses to process and convey RF signals of the frequency band to andfrom the group of antennas. Other per-frequency-band arrangements couldbe possible as well.

In practice, the access node's RF circuitry per frequency band couldhave a respective level of quality defining how well the RF circuitrysupports RF communication in the frequency band. Relatively high qualityRF circuitry could correlate with relatively low signal degradation,which could in turn correlate with higher quality communication.Whereas, relatively low quality RF circuitry could correlate withrelatively high signal degradation, which could in turn correlate withlower quality communication. Without limitation, two example metricsrelated to quality of an access node's RF circuitry per frequency bandare port-to-port isolation and insertion loss.

An access node's port-to-port isolation as to a given frequency band isa measure of how well one or more antenna ports associated with theaccess node's communication on that frequency band could withstand,minimize, or eliminate RF interference, such as cross-coupling, from oneor more other antenna ports associated with the access node'scommunication on one or more other frequency bands, and might berepresented as a ratio of power fed to the other ports to power receivedby the ports at issue. Such interference could arise due toimperfections in associated filters or the like, and could result in RFsignal degradation. Based on factors such as physical proximity ofantenna ports, proximity of frequency bands, and design of associatedfilters and other components, the access node could have a defined levelof port-to-port isolation respectively for each of the access node'sfrequency bands, which could differ per band. This level of port-to-portisolation could be indicated by manufacturer specifications and/ordetermined through manual or automated analysis and could be recordedfor reference.

Further, an access node's insertion loss as to as to a given frequencyband is a measure of attenuation or loss in signal power resulting fromthe inclusion (insertion) of one or more components in the access node'sRF communication path as to that frequency band. For instance, theinclusion of one or more RF filters, combiners, diplexers, triplexers,antenna ports, jumper cables or other components to feed the accessnode's RF communication on the frequency band could individually orcooperatively introduce signal loss as to the access node'scommunication on that band. Based on various factors, the access nodecould similarly have a defined level of insertion loss respectively foreach of the access node's frequency bands, which could also differ perfrequency band. And this insertion loss per frequency band could also beindicated by manufacture specifications and/or determined by manual orautomated analysis and could be recorded for reference.

In addition, if an access node operates on multiple different frequencybands, the access node might provide multiple zones of coverage thatdiffer from each other at least by how far they extend geographicallyfrom the access node (e.g., from a common antenna array of the accessnode). This difference between geographic ranges of the access node'szones of coverage could stem from the fact that lower frequency signalshave lower path loss and therefore tend to propagate farther from theaccess node than higher frequency signals at the same transmissionpower. Thus, if the access node operates on both a high-frequency bandand a low-frequency band, the access node's coverage on thehigh-frequency band would likely extend a shorter distance from theaccess node than the access node's coverage on the low-frequency band.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of this, without limitation, in a scenariowhere an access node operates on a band-71 carrier (in the frequencyrange 617 MHz to 698 MHz), a band-41 carrier (in the frequency range2496 MHz to 2690 MHz), and a band n260 carrier (in the frequency range27 GHz to 40 GHz). In this scenario, the band-71 carrier has some levelof path loss, the band-41 carrier has a higher level of path loss thanthe band-71 carrier, and the band-n260 carrier has a higher level ofpath loss than the band-41 carrier. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1 , theaccess node may have at least three zones of coverage, A, B, and C, withthe access node operating on a different set of frequency bandsrespectively in each zone than in each other zone.

Namely, Zone A would extend from the access node to as far away as theaccess node can effectively provide service on the band-n260 carrier,and in Zone A the access node could provide service on the band-n260carrier, the band-41 carrier, and the band-71 carrier. Zone B would thenextend from the distant edge of Zone A to as far away as the access nodecan effectively provide service on the band-41 carrier, and in Zone Bthe access node could provide service on the band-41 carrier and theband-71 carrier but not on the band-n260 carrier. And Zone C wouldextend from the distant edge of Zone B to as far away as the access nodecan effectively provide service on the band-71 carrier, and in Zone Cthe access node could provide service on the band-71 carrier but not onthe band-41 carrier or the band-n260 carrier. Other reasons for andarrangements of zones of coverage of an access node each encompassing adifferent set of frequency bands than each other could be possible aswell.

When a UE enters into coverage of an example network including one ormore such access nodes, the UE could detect threshold strong coverage ofan access node on a carrier in a given frequency band, such as bydetecting a threshold strong reference signal broadcast by the accessnode on that carrier. And the UE could then engage in random-access andconnection signaling, such as Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling,with the access node to establish an air-interface connection (e.g., RRCconnection) through which the access node will then serve the UE on thatcarrier. Further, the access node could establish in data storage acontext record for the UE, noting the carrier on which the UE isconnected and noting associated service information.

In addition, if the UE is not already registered for service with thecore network, the UE could transmit to the access node an attachrequest, which the access node could forward to a core-networkcontroller for processing. And the core-network controller and accessnode could then coordinate setup for the UE of one or more user-planebearers, each of which could include (i) an access-bearer portion thatextends between the access node and a core-network gateway system thatprovides connectivity with a transport network and (ii) adata-radio-bearer portion that extends over the air between the accessnode and the UE.

Once the UE is connected and registered, the access node could thenserve the UE in a connected mode over the air-interface connection,managing downlink air-interface communication of packet data to the UEand uplink air-interface communication of packet data from the UE.

For instance, when the core-network gateway system receives user-planedata for transmission to the UE, the data could flow to the access node,and the access node could buffer the data, pending transmission of thedata to the UE. With the example air-interface configuration notedabove, the access node could then allocate downlink PRBs in an upcomingsubframe for carrying at least a portion of the data, defining atransport block, to the UE. And the access node could transmit to the UEin a control region of that subframe a Downlink Control Information(DCI) scheduling directive that designates the allocated PRBs, and theaccess node could accordingly transmit the transport block to the UE inthose designated PRBs.

Likewise, on the uplink, when the UE has user-plane data fortransmission on the transport network, the UE could buffer the data,pending transmission of the data to the access node, and the UE couldtransmit to the access node a scheduling request that carries a bufferstatus report (BSR) indicating the quantity of data that the UE hasbuffered for transmission. With the example air-interface configurationnoted above, the access node could then allocate uplink PRBs in anupcoming subframe to carry a transport block of the data from the UE andcould transmit to the UE a DCI scheduling directive that designatesthose upcoming PRBs. And the UE could accordingly transmit the transportblock to the access node in the designated PRBs.

For each such transmission on the downlink and the uplink, the receivingend (i.e., the UE or the access node) could determine whether itreceived the transport block successfully from the transmitting end(i.e., the access node or the UE). For instance, the transmission couldcarry a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value computed based on thetransport block, and the receiving end could compute a CRC based on thereceived transport block and determine whether its computed CRC matchesthat carried by the transmission. If the receiving end receives thetransmission and determines that the CRC matches, then the receiving endcould transmit to the transmitting end a positive acknowledgement (ACK)control message. Whereas, if the receiving end does not receive thetransmission or determines that the CRC does not match and thus thatthere was an error in the received transport block, then the receivingend could transmit to the transmitting end a negative acknowledgement(NACK), in response to which the transmitting end could then attemptretransmission.

If the access node with which a UE connects is configured to operate onmultiple different frequency bands, the access node might providemultiple zones of coverage as noted above, with the access nodeoperating on a different set of frequency bands respectively in eachzone of coverage. Therefore, the set of frequency bands on which theaccess node could possibly serve the UE would depend on which zone ofcoverage of the access node the UE is physically positioned in.

For at least this reason, if the UE is connected with the access node ona given frequency band and the UE moves between the access node's zonesof coverage, the access node may dynamically switch the UE from beingconnected with the access node on that frequency band to instead beingconnected with the access node on another frequency band.

By way of example, in the arrangement above, if the UE is connected withthe access node on band 71 in Zone B and the UE moves from Zone B toZone A, the access node might transition the UE from being connectedwith the access node on band 71 to being connected with the access nodeinstead on band n260—both because band n260 has become available to theUE and perhaps because a carrier in band n260 may be wider bandwidthsupporting higher peak data rate. And as another example, if the UE isconnected with the access node on band 41 in Zone B and the UE movesfrom Zone B to Zone C, the access node might transition the UE frombeing connected with the access node on band 41 to instead beingconnected with the access node on band 71, because, in Zone C, theaccess node operates on band 71 but not on band 41. Other examples arepossible as well.

The present disclosure leverages the above principles to help controlwhether a UE will be served by a given access node. In particular, thedisclosure addresses a scenario where an access node has multiple zonesof coverage and operates on a different respective set of one or morefrequency bands in each zone of coverage than in each other zone ofcoverage. In this scenario, the disclosure provides for predicting thatthe UE will move through a sequence of those zones of coverage of theaccess node and, based on the prediction, proactively controllingwhether the UE is served by the access node, with the controlling beingbased on the access node's RF-circuitry quality as to the frequencybands on which the access node operates in the zones of coverage throughwhich the UE is predicted to move.

These as well as other aspects, advantages, and alternatives will becomeapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the followingdetailed description, with reference where appropriate to theaccompanying drawings. Further, it should be understood that thedescriptions provided in this overview and below are intended toillustrate the invention by way of example only and not by way oflimitation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an example illustration of multiple zones of coverage providedby an access node, where the access node operates on a different set offrequency bands respectively in each zone of coverage.

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of an example wirelesscommunication system in which features of the present disclosure can beimplemented.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an example arrangement where a UE is movingalong a path that will lead through multiple zones of coverage of eachof one or more access nodes.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting operations that can be carried out inaccordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of an example computing systemoperable in accordance with the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An example implementation will now be described in the context of anetwork that operates according to 4G LTE and/or 5G NR, among otherpossibilities. It should be understood, however, that the principlesdisclosed herein could extend to apply with respect to other scenariosas well, such as with respect to other RATs. Further, it should beunderstood that other variations from the specific arrangements andprocesses described are possible. For instance, various describedentities, connections, functions, and other elements could be added,omitted, distributed, re-located, re-ordered, combined, or changed inother ways. In addition, it will be understood that technical operationsdisclosed as being carried out by one or more entities could be carriedout at least in part by a processing unit programmed to carry out theoperations or to cause one or more other entities to carry out theoperations

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of anexample network arrangement having two example access nodes 12 and 14.Either or each of these access nodes could be a macro access node of thetype configured to provide a wide range of coverage or could take otherforms, such as a small cell access node, a relay, a femtocell accessnode, or the like, possibly configured to provide a smaller range ofcoverage. Further, the access nodes could be located nearby each other,providing overlapping coverage so that a UE could be positioned withincoverage of both access nodes concurrently.

Each of these access nodes could be configured to provide coverage andservice on carriers defined in multiple different frequency bands asdiscussed above, with the set of frequency bands on which one accessnode operates being the same as or different than the set of frequencybands on which the other access node operates. Thus, access node 12could operate on carriers in multiple frequency bands 16, and accessnode 14 could operate on carriers in multiple frequency bands 18.

The air interface on each such carrier could be structured as describedabove by way of example, being divided over time into frames, subframes,timeslots, and symbol time segments, and over frequency intosubcarriers, thus defining an array of air-interface resource elementsgrouped into PRBs allocable by the access node as noted above, for useto carry data to or from served UEs.

To facilitate operating on multiple frequency bands, as discussed above,each access node could have a separate set of RF circuitry respectivelyper frequency band. Namely, access node 12 could have multiple sets ofRF circuitry 20 to support its operation on multiple frequency bands,and access node 14 could have multiple sets of RF circuitry 22 tosupport its operation on multiple frequency bands. As noted above, anaccess node's set of RF circuitry per frequency band could include arespective set of one more antennas that the access node uses to engagein air-interface communication on the frequency band as well as a numberof other associated RF circuitry components. Cooperatively for eachfrequency band, this RF circuitry of an access node could define an RFchain, which could support downlink RF communication from the accessnode to UEs and uplink RF communication to the access node from UEs.

As noted above, each access node could also have a defined level ofRF-circuitry quality respectively as to each frequency band on which theaccess node operates, which could differ per frequency band. This levelof RF-circuitry quality per frequency band could be defined as notedabove based on one or more metrics, such as port-to-port isolationand/or insertion loss, and stored for reference.

To facilitate a comparative analysis, the access node's RF circuitryquality per frequency band could be defined on a normalized qualityscale established for present purposes or otherwise. That scale couldmake RF-circuitry-quality values proportional to level of port-to-portisolation, because a higher level of port-to-port isolation wouldcorrelate with higher RF communication quality, and/or could makeRF-circuity-quality values inversely proportional to insertion loss,because a higher level of insertion loss would correlate with lowerquality. Where both of these metrics and/or other metrics are involved,the access node's RF-circuitry quality as to a given frequency bandcould be deemed to be an average, a weighted sum, and/or anotheraggregation of the metrics, among other possibilities.

As further shown in FIG. 2 , each of the illustrated access nodes isinterfaced with an example core network 24, which provides connectivitywith an external transport network 26 such as the Internet for instance.This core network could be a packet-switched network such as an EvolvedPacket Core (EPC) network or Next Generation Core (NGC) core network,among other possibilities, supporting virtual-packet tunnels or otherinterfaces between network nodes. And the core network could includeboth a user-plane subsystem through which UE bearer communications couldflow to and from the transport network 26, and a control-plane subsystemsupporting functions such as UE authentication, mobility management, andbearer management, among others.

In the example arrangement as shown, for instance, the core network 24could be an EPC network and could include a serving gateway (SGW) 28, apacket data network gateway (PGW) 30, a mobility management entity (MME)32, a mobile location system (MLS) 34, and an element management system(EMS) 36, although other arrangements are possible as well, includingpossibly having the access nodes interfaced with different core networksthan each other.

In an example implementation, without limitation, each access node couldhave an interface through the core network 24 with the SGW 28, the SGW28 could have an interface with the PGW 30, and the PGW 30 could provideconnectivity with the transport network 26. In addition, each accessnode could have an interface through the core network 24 with the MME32, and the MME 32 could have an interface with the SGW 28, so that theMME 32 could coordinate setup of bearers for UEs to enable the UEs toengage in packet-data communications. Alternatively, just the accessnode 14 might have an interface with the MME 32 and may function as ananchor for core-network control signaling with the MME 32 both for 4Gservice and for 5G service with EN-DC.

Further, the MLS 34 could be a computing-system platform configured todetermine (e.g., track) geographic location of UEs using techniques suchas trilateration, multilateration (e.g., observed time difference ofarrival (OTDOA)), satellite-based positioning, or the like. And the EMS36 could be a computing-system platform configured to operate as acentral repository of operational data for the wireless communicationnetwork and to control and manage operation of various network elements.

FIG. 2 further illustrates an example UE 38 within coverage of theaccess nodes. This UE could be any of the types noted above, among otherpossibilities and could include one or more radios and associated logicthat enables the UE to be served in accordance with a RAT such as one ofthose noted above.

In line with the discussion above, upon entering into coverage of theaccess nodes as shown, the UE could initially scan for coverage andcould detect threshold strong coverage of an access node on a givencarrier in a given band. For instance, the UE could evaluate referencesignal receive power (RSRP) from the access node on the carrier anddetermine that that RSRP is strong enough to justify connecting.Further, if the UE detects threshold strong coverage of multiple accessnodes and/or on multiple carriers, the UE might select the strongestdetected coverage on which to connect.

The UE could then engage in random access signaling and RRC signalingwith the access node on the detected/selected carrier, to establish anRRC connection with the access node on that carrier. Further, the UEcould also engage in attach signaling with the MME 32 through the UE'sconnection, and the MME 32 could coordinate setup of one or moreuser-plane bearers for the UE as discussed above could establish in datastorage a context record for the UE, indicating the UE's RRC-connectedstate and indicating the carrier and band on which the access node isserving the UE. And once the UE is connected, the access node could thenserve the UE as noted above, scheduling downlink and uplinkcommunication with the UE on PRBs of the carrier or carriers of the UE'sRRC connection.

Note also that the access node might add one or more additional carriersto the UE's RRC connection, to facilitate providing the UE withcarrier-aggregation service, with the access node schedulingcommunications with the UE on PRBs distributed across multiple suchcarriers. Although, with carrier aggregation, the UE could be consideredto be connected (e.g., primarily connected) with the access node on onesuch carrier, perhaps the carrier on which the UE initially connected,and each added carrier would be just a secondary component carrier addedto help provide the UE with increased peak data rate.

Further, note that the access node might also configure dualconnectivity service for the UE, perhaps when desired to help providethe UE with increased peak data rate. Configuring of dual connectivityfor the UE could involve the access node coordinating addition for theUE of a secondary connection between the UE and another access node(perhaps one operating according to a different RAT)). For instance, theaccess node might engage in signaling with the other access node and theUE to set up that secondary connection, and the access node might alsoengage in signaling to coordinate setup of a split bearer for the UE, soas to enable the access nodes to concurrently serve the UE over theirrespective connections with the UE.

While the UE is served by an access node on a given carrier, the UE mayalso regularly monitor the UE's coverage strength on that carrier and onother carriers and may provide the access node with measurement reportsto enable the access node to adapt its service of the UE based at leaston the UE's coverage conditions.

For instance, the UE could periodically measure and report to the accessnode the UE's RSRP on the carrier on which the UE is connected with theaccess node and/or on one or more other carriers. And the access nodemay also provision the UE with a measurement object that causes the UEto scan for and report to the access node when the UE's detectedcoverage meets certain thresholds (e.g., when the UE's serving coveragebecomes threshold weak and/or when other coverage becomes thresholdstrong, perhaps threshold stronger than the serving coverage).

Based on these measurement reports and/or other information, as notedabove, the access node may at times switch the UE from being connectedwith the access node on a given carrier to being connected with theaccess node on a different carrier. Further, as noted above, this couldbe a switch from serving the UE on a given frequency band to serving theUE on another frequency band. For instance, if and when the UE isconnected with the access node on a carrier of a given frequency bandand the access node learns that the UE is moving into threshold strongercoverage of the access node on a carrier of a different frequency band,the access node may transition the UE to be connected with the accessnode instead on the carrier of the different frequency band. By way ofexample, the access node could transmit to the UE an RRC connectionreconfiguration message that directs and thus causes the UE to engage inthat transition, and the access node could update its context record forthe UE accordingly.

As the access node with which the UE connects operates on multipledifferent frequency bands, the access node would have multiple zones ofcoverage as noted above, which could emanate from a common point oforigin (e.g., a common antenna array) but extend different distancesthan each other from the access node. Further, at the time the UEconnects with the access node and/or later while the UE is being servedby the access node, the UE may be positioned within a given such zone ofcoverage. And the UE may also be in motion and headed along a path(e.g., in a direction) that will lead the UE sequentially through atleast some of those multiple zones of coverage, including the zone inwhich the UE is currently positioned. Therefore, the access node maytransition the UE from frequency band to frequency band as the UE movesalong.

In addition, as the other access node shown in FIG. 2 also operates onmultiple different frequency bands, that other access node would alsohave multiple zones of coverage as noted above. And the UE's path ofmovement may also happen to lead the UE sequentially through at leastsome of those multiple zones of coverage of that other access node aswell.

FIG. 3 illustrates how this might play out in practice. Namely, FIG. 3depicts access nodes 12 and 14 each having three representative,respective zones of coverage as discussed above, access node 12 havingzones of coverage A, B and C at progressively greater distance fromaccess node 12, and access node 14 having zones of coverage D, E, and Fat progressively greater distance from access node 14. Withoutlimitation, zones A, B, and C of access node 12 might encompass serviceby access node 12 on respectively sets of the frequency bands asdepicted by FIG. 1 , and zones D, E, and F of access node 14 mightencompass service on those same respective sets of frequency bands. Eachof these zones of coverage could span a respective geographic area,which could be established through drive testing or other RF mappingmechanisms and could be recorded for reference.

FIG. 3 then further depicts the example UE being positioned concurrentlywithin zone C of access node 12 and zone F of access node 14 and movingalong a path that will lead the UE in turn into zone B of access node 12and zone E of access node 14 but not through zone A of access node 12 orzone D of access node 14.

In line with the discussion above, a computing system in this situationcould predict that the UE will move sequentially through multiple zonesof coverage of a given such access node, And the computing system couldthen proactively control whether the UE should be served by that accessnode, with the control being based on the RF-circuitry quality of thefrequency bands on which that access node operates in the zones ofcoverage through which the UE is predicted to move.

The computing system that carries out this process could be provided atthe access node at issue (e.g., by a programmed host processor or otherprocessor of that access node) or elsewhere, such as the EMS 36 forinstance.

And to facilitate this process, the computing system could have accessto a set of reference data that defines the zones of coverage, frequencybands, and levels of RF-circuitry quality. For instance, the referencedata could indicate, respectively per access node, the access node'szones of coverage and, respectively for each zone of coverage, both thegeographic scope of the zone of coverage and the set of one or morefrequency bands on which the access node operates in the zone ofcoverage. Further, the reference data could indicate, respectively foreach frequency band on which the access node operates, an RF-circuityquality of the access node as to that frequency band, perhaps based onport-to-port isolation and/or insertion loss of the access node forinstance.

To predict that the UE will move sequentially through multiple zones ofcoverage of a given such access node, the computing system could (i)determine a path along which the UE is headed and (ii) compare that pathto the reference-data indication of geographic scope of the accessnode's zones of coverage.

The computing system could determine the path along which the UE isheaded based on geolocation tracking data. For instance, throughinteraction with the MLS 34 or in other ways, the computing system couldtrack the UE's geographic location over time as a series of geographiclocation points, which could establish a direction or other path ofmovement of the UE from a current geographic position of the UE, and thecomputing system could extrapolate that path to predict where it willlead. Further, the computing system could take into account otherfactors as a basis to determine the UE's path of movement, such as forinstance the UE's movement along a roadway or other predefined path, aswell as previous handover data or the like, and the computing systemmight factor in speed and other variance of movement of the UE overtime.

Given the determined path along which the UE is predicted to move, thecomputing system could compare that path with the geographic scope ofcoverage of the various zones of coverage of the access node, todetermine a sequence of zones of coverage of the access node throughwhich the path leads and thus through which the UE will move, which maystart with the zone in which the UE is currently positioned and continuewith one or more additional zones.

Given the set of the access node's zones of coverage through which theUE is predicted to move, the computing system could then determine anRF-circuitry-quality score of the access node as an aggregate of theRF-circuit-qualities of the access node as to the frequency bands onwhich the access node operates in the zones of coverage through whichthe UE is predicted to move.

For instance, the computing system could determine from the referencedata an aggregate set of frequency bands on which the access nodeoperates in the zones of coverage through which the UE is predicted tomove, by (i) determining for each such zone of coverage the set of oneor more frequency bands on which the access node operates, and (ii)aggregating those determined frequency bands to establish an aggregateset of the frequency bands on which the access node operates in thezones of coverage through which the UE is predicted to move. And thecomputing system could then determine the RF-circuitry-quality score ofthe access node as to that determined aggregate set of frequency bands.

The computing system could determine the RF-circuitry-quality score ofthe access node as to the set of frequency bands on which the accessnode operates in the zones of coverage through which the UE is predictedto move by (i) determining, respectively for each frequency band of theaggregate set of frequency bands, the RF-circuity quality of the accessnode as to that frequency band and (ii) aggregating those determinedRF-circuity qualities, such as by averaging them or otherwise rollingthem up to establish for the access node a representative RF-circuitryquality score.

The computing system could then use that determined RF-circuit-qualityscore of the access node as a basis to control whether the UE is servedby the access node. For instance, if the UE is already connected withthe access node, the computing system could use the determinedRF-circuit-quality score of the access node as a basis to determinewhether the UE should stay connected with the access node or shouldrather transition to be served by a different access node. Or if the UEis not already connected with the access node, the computing systemcould use the determined RF-circuit-quality score of the access node asa basis to determine whether the UE should connect with the access node.

As an example of this process, consider a scenario where the UE in thearrangement of FIG. 3 is currently connected with access node 12 and isnot connected with access node 14.

In that scenario, the computing system might use this process to controlwhether the UE will stay connected with access node 12. For instance,the computing system could predict that the UE will head along a paththat will lead the UE through zones C and B of access node 12, and thecomputing system could determine that the aggregate set of frequencybands on which access node 12 operates in those determined zones is band71 and band 41.

The computing system might then determine an exampleRF-circuitry-quality score of access node 12 as a value proportional tothe average port-to-port isolation of the access node on those twobands, and/or the computing system might determine as an exampleRF-circuitry-quality score of the access node 12 as a value inverselyproportional to the average insertion loss of the access node on thosetwo bands. And the computing system could compare that determinedRF-circuitry-quality score of the access node with a predefinedthreshold RF-circuitry-quality level defined for present purposes.

If the determined RF-circuitry-quality score of access node 12 is atleast as high as the predefined threshold, then the computing systemcould determine that the UE should continue to be served by access node12. In that case, the computing system could allow the UE's service tocontinue as is. Whereas, if the determined RF-circuitry-quality score isnot as high as the predefined threshold, then the computing system coulddetermine that the UE should not continue to be served by the accessnode 12, perhaps that the UE should be served by another access nodeinstead. And in that case, the computing system could cause access node12 to release the UE's connection and perhaps to hand the UE over toanother access node such as access node 14.

As another example, in a similar scenario, the access node might performsuch an analysis respectively for each of access nodes 12 and 14, basedon the UE's predicted path of movement and may thereby determinerespectively per access node an RF-circuitry-quality score and use acomparison of those scores as a basis to determine whether access node12 should hand the UE over to access node 14, such as by determiningthat the UE should be served by the access node that has the higherdetermined RF-circuitry-quality score.

For instance, if the computing system determines that theRF-circuitry-quality score of access node 12 as an aggregate of theRF-circuit qualities of access node 12 as to the frequency bands onwhich access node 12 operates in zones C and B through which the UE ispredicted to move is greater than the RF-circuitry-quality score ofaccess node 14 as an aggregate of the RF-circuity qualities of accessnode 14 as to the frequency bands on which access node 14 operates inzones F and E through which the UE is predicted to move, then thecomputing system could conclude that the UE should stay served by accessnode 12. And in that case, the computing system could cause access node12 to forgo from handing over the UE to access node 14 or otherwise tonot do so.

Whereas, if the computing system determines that theRF-circuitry-quality score of access node 12 is lower than theRF-circuitry-quality score of access node 14, then the computing systemcould conclude that the UE should hand over from access node 12 toaccess node 14. And in that case, the computing system could causeaccess node 12 to so hand over the UE.

In an example implementation, if the computing system is at access node12 in these examples, then the computing system could directly cause theaccess node to execute the control decision. Whereas, if the computingsystem is elsewhere, then the computing system could transmit to accessnode 12 a control signal to which access node 12 is configured torespond by executing the control decision.

Further, note that various triggers could exist for carry out thisprocess.

By way of example, the computing system could carry out this process inresponse to detecting the occurrence of a trigger for the UE to beprovided with dual-connectivity. For instance, access node 12 mightdetect that the UE is engaged in video streaming or other data-heavycommunication and could benefit from being served with dualconnectivity. To help ensure that the UE in that situation would have anoptimal anchor carrier connection for dual connectivity, access node 12could then engage the present process to determine whether to continueserving the UE as that anchor or rather to hand the UE over to accessnode 14 to be the UE's anchor.

As another example, the computing system could carry out the process inresponse to a first determination that the UE has transitioned from onezone of coverage of an access node to another zone of coverage of theaccess node, and thus that the UE is in motion. Other examples arepossible as well.

FIG. 4 is next a flow chart depicting a method that could be carried outin accordance with the present disclosure to control service of a UE. Asshown in FIG. 4 , at block 40, the method includes predicting that theUE will move sequentially through multiple zones of coverage of anaccess node, where, in each zone of coverage, the access node operateson a different respective set of one or more frequency bands than ineach other zone of coverage, and, as to each frequency band, the accessnode has a respective RF-circuitry quality. At block 42, the method thenincludes, based on the predicting, determining an RF-circuitry-qualityscore of the access node as an aggregate of the RF-circuitry-qualitiesof the access node as to the frequency bands on which the access nodeoperates in the multiple zones of coverage through which the UE ispredicted to move. And at block 44, the method includes, before thepredicted movement of the UE through the multiple zones of coverageoccurs (i.e., before that movement has fully occurred), proactivelyusing the determined RF-circuitry-quality score of the access node as abasis to control whether the UE is served by the access node.

FIG. 5 is next a simplified block diagram of an example computing systemthat could be operable in accordance with the present disclosure. Asnoted above, such a computing system could be provided at an access nodeor the EMS 36, among other possibilities.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the example computing system includes at least onenetwork communication interface 46, at least one processor 48, and atleast one non-transitory data storage 50, which could be integratedtogether and/or interconnected by a system bus, network, or otherconnection mechanism 52.

The at least one network communication interface 46 could comprise aphysical network connector (e.g., an Ethernet interface) and associatedcommunication logic (e.g., protocol stacks) to facilitate wired orwireless network communication with various other entities. The at leastone processor 48 could comprise one or more general purpose processors(e.g., microprocessors) and/or one or more specialized processors (e.g.,application specific integrated circuits). And the at least onenon-transitory data storage 50 could comprise one or more volatileand/or non-volatile storage components (e.g., magnetic, optical, orflash storage, necessarily non-transitory).

As shown, the at least one non-transitory data storage 50 could thenstore program instructions 54. These program instructions could beexecutable by the at least one processor 48 to cause the computingsystem to carry out various operations described herein to controlservice of a UE. By way of example, the operations could include (i)predicting that the UE will move sequentially through multiple zones ofcoverage of an access node, where, in each zone of coverage, the accessnode operates on a different respective set of one or more frequencybands than in each other zone of coverage, (ii) determining anRF-circuitry-quality score based on RF-circuitry qualities of thefrequency bands on which the access node operates in the multiple zonesof coverage that the UE is predicted to move through, and (iii) beforethe predicted movement of the UE through the multiple zones of coverageoccurs, using the determined RF-circuitry-quality score as a basis tocontrol whether the UE should be served by the access node.

Various other features described herein could be carried out in thiscontext as well, and vice versa.

The present disclosure also contemplates at least one non-transitorycomputer readable medium (e.g., one or more magnetic, optical, of flashstorage components, necessarily non-transitory) having stored thereon(e.g., being encoded with) or otherwise containing program instructionsexecutable by a processor to carry out various operations as describedherein.

Exemplary embodiments have been described above. Those skilled in theart will understand, however, that changes and modifications may be madeto these embodiments without departing from the true scope and spirit ofthe invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method to control service of a user equipmentdevice (UE), the method comprising: predicting that the UE will movethrough at least one zone of coverage of an access node beyond a currentzone of coverage in which the UE is located, wherein, in each zone ofcoverage of the at least one zone of coverage, the access node operateson a respective set of one or more frequency bands, and wherein, as toeach frequency band, the access node has a respective radio-frequency(RF) circuitry quality; based on the predicting, determining anRF-circuitry-quality score of the access node based on the respectiveRF-circuitry quality of the access node as to each of the one or morefrequency bands on which the access node operates in the at least onezone of coverage through which the UE is predicted to move; and beforethe predicted movement of the UE through the at least one zone ofcoverage occurs, proactively using the determined RF-circuitry-qualityscore of the access node as a basis to control whether the UE is servedby the access node.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the respectiveRF-circuitry quality of the access node per frequency band is based onat least one metric selected from the group consisting of (i)port-to-port isolation of the access node as to communication of theaccess node on the frequency band and (ii) insertion loss of the accessnode as to communication of the access node on the frequency band. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein predicting that the UE will move throughthe at least one zone of coverage of the access node comprisesdetermining that the UE is moving along a path that leads from a currentposition of the UE through the at least one zone of coverage of theaccess node.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining that theUE is moving along the path is based on geolocation tracking data. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein determining the RF-circuitry-qualityscore of the access node based on the respective RF-circuitry quality ofthe access node as to each of the one or more frequency bands on whichthe access node operates in the at least one zone through which the UEis predicted to move comprises: determining an aggregate set of multiplefrequency bands on which the access node provides service in the atleast one zone of coverage through which the UE is predicted to move, asa union of sets of one or more frequency bands respectively per zone ofcoverage; determining the RF-circuitry quality of the access noderespectively for each frequency band of the determined aggregate set;and aggregating, as the RF-circuitry-quality score, the determinedRF-circuitry qualities of the frequency bands of the determinedaggregate set.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein aggregating thedetermined RF-circuitry qualities of the frequency bands of thedetermined aggregate set comprises averaging the determined RF-circuitryqualities of the frequency bands of the determined aggregate set.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein proactively using the determinedRF-circuitry-quality score of the access node as a basis to controlwhether the UE is served by the access node comprises: comparing thedetermined RF-circuitry-quality score of the access node with apredefined threshold level of RF-circuitry quality; and based on thecomparing, controlling whether the UE is served by the access node. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein the access node is a first access nodeand the determined RF-circuitry-quality score is a first determinedRF-circuitry-quality score, and wherein proactively using the firstdetermined RF-circuitry-quality score of the first access node as abasis to control whether the UE is served by the first access nodecomprises: comparing the first determined RF-circuitry-quality score ofthe first access node with a second determined RF-circuitry-qualityscore of a second access node that also provides multiple zones ofcoverage through which the UE is predicted to move; and based on thecomparing, controlling whether the UE is served by the first access nodeor rather the second access node.
 9. The method of claim 8, whereincontrolling, based on the comparing, whether the UE is served by thefirst access node or rather the second access node comprises:determining, based on the comparing, which of the first access node andthe second access node has a higher determined RF-circuitry-qualityscore than the other of the first access node and the second accessnode; and based on the determining of which access node has the higherdetermined RF-circuitry-quality score, causing the UE to be served bythe determined access node.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein themethod is carried out when the UE is already served by the access node,and wherein proactively using the determined RF-circuitry-quality scoreof the access node as a basis to control whether the UE is served by theaccess node comprises using the determined RF-circuitry-quality score ofthe access node as a basis to control whether (i) the UE continues to beserved by the access node or rather (ii) to hand over the UE from theaccess node to another access node.
 11. The method of claim 1, whereinthe method is carried out when the UE is not currently served by theaccess node, and wherein proactively using the determinedRF-circuitry-quality score of the access node as a basis to controlwhether the UE is served by the access node comprises using thedetermined RF-circuitry-quality score of the access node as a basis tocontrol whether or not to hand over the UE to the access node.
 12. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the method is carried out in response todetecting a trigger for the UE to be provided with dual-connectivityservice.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple zones ofcoverage of the access node emanate from a common point of origin andextend different distances than each other from the access node.
 14. Acomputing system configured to control service of a user equipmentdevice (UE), the computing system comprising: at least one processor; atleast one non-transitory data storage; and program instructions storedin the at least one non-transitory data storage and executable by the atleast one processor to cause the computing system to carry outoperations including: predicting that the UE will move through at leastone zone of coverage of an access node beyond a current zone of coveragein which the UE is located, wherein, in each zone of coverage of the atleast one zone of coverage, the access node operates on a respective setof one or more frequency bands, and wherein, as to each frequency band,the access node has a respective radio-frequency (RF) circuitry quality,based on the predicting, determining an RF-circuitry-quality score ofthe access node based on the respective RF-circuitry quality of theaccess node as to each of the one or more frequency bands on which theaccess node operates in the at least one zone of coverage through whichthe UE is predicted to move, and before the predicted movement of the UEthrough the at least one zone of coverage occurs, proactively using thedetermined RF-circuitry-quality score of the access node as a basis tocontrol whether the UE is served by the access node.
 15. The computingsystem of claim 14, wherein predicting that the UE will move through theat least one zone of coverage of the access node comprises determiningthat the UE is moving along a path that leads from a current position ofthe UE through the at least one zone of coverage of the access node. 16.The computing system of claim 14, wherein the RF-circuitry qualitiescomprise at least one characteristic selected from the group consistingport-to-port isolation and insertion loss.
 17. The computing system ofclaim 14, wherein the access node is a first access node, and whereinusing the determined RF-circuitry-quality score as a basis to controlwhether the UE should be served by the first access node comprises usingthe determined RF-circuitry-quality score as a basis to control whetherthe UE should be served by the first access node or rather by a secondaccess node.
 18. The computing system of claim 17, wherein using thedetermined RF-circuitry-quality score as a basis to control whether theUE should be served by the first access node or rather by the secondaccess node comprises: comparing the determined RF-circuitry-qualityscore of the first access node with an RF-circuitry-quality score of thesecond access node; based on the comparing, determining which of thefirst access node and second access node has a higher determinedRF-circuitry-quality score than the other of the first access node andsecond access node; and based on the determining of which access nodehas the higher determined RF-circuitry-quality score, causing the UE tobe served by the determined access node.
 19. The computing system ofclaim 14, wherein the computing system is provided at the access node orat another access node.
 20. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumembodying program instructions executable by a processing unit to carryout operations for controlling service of a user equipment device (UE),the operations including: predicting that the UE will move through atleast one zone of coverage of an access node beyond a current zone ofcoverage in which the UE is located, wherein, in each zone of coverageof the at least one zone of coverage, the access node operates on arespective set of one or more frequency bands, and wherein, as to eachfrequency band, the access node has a respective radio-frequency (RF)circuitry quality; based on the predicting, determining anRF-circuitry-quality score of the access node based on the respectiveRF-circuitry quality of the access node as to each of the one or morefrequency bands on which the access node operates in the at least onezone of coverage through which the UE is predicted to move; and beforethe predicted movement of the UE through the at least one zone ofcoverage occurs, proactively using the determined RF-circuitry-qualityscore of the access node as a basis to control whether the UE is servedby the access node.